(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mid-mount tractor comprising a working implement such as a mower or grass cutting blade, a flower finishing device, or a cleaning device mounted between front and rear wheels, and a transmission case disposed rearwardly of the working implement and supporting the rear wheels.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional tractors of the type noted above have a hydraulic stepless change speed apparatus and the transmission case arranged in the fore and aft direction of the tractor body. In the case of the known structure, where a working implement such as a mower is disposed between the front and rear wheels, the hydraulic stepless change speed apparatus must be positioned rearwardly not to project into a space for accommodating the working implement. This increases the wheelbase between the front axle and the rear axle supported by the transmission case, resulting in a large construction.
A construction devised to eliminate the above drawback is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,834, for example. In this patent, the transmission case is divided into a portion for reduction and a portion for differential function, with the portion for reduction having a vertically elongated configuration. However, since in the disclosed construction the hydraulic stepless change speed apparatus and the transmission case are arranged in the fore and aft direction of the tractor body, it is not fully satisfactory with regard to the length of wheelbase. Moreover, even though the hydraulic stepless change speed apparatus has an input mechanism position high above the ground, the lower half of the change speed apparatus remains obstructive to realization of a useful space.